Goodbye, clutter; hello, cash

With baby's arrival inching ever nearer, Scott and I have gotten on a big organization kick. Now, for him, that's not such a huge character stretch, but when I'm the one pushing to go clean out a closet, it makes you peek out the window to see if pigs are soaring past. We've been organizing and straightening some things and clearing out and getting rid of others. It feels rather gratifying to see a once jumbled closet become easier to use or see a cluttered pantry get the amazing overhaul Scott did a week or so ago.

To get rid of the excess we've accumulated as well as put a little money back in the bank account, I've turned to a local Facebook garage sale page. People post pictures of what they're selling and others comment to purchase. Then you set up a time and place to meet and swap your old picture frames or bedding for cash. It's great if you have stuff you'd like to get rid of but don't want to have a full on garage sale of your own. (Plus, this way you don't have to deal with those early birds who show up in your front yard at 6 a.m.)

While I have had success in the Facebook group in selling home goods, I have had little to no luck selling my clothes. I found myself with a stack of clothes in my closet floor and no idea what to do with them.

But then I found Twice. It's a website where you can purchase name-brand clothes secondhand for much less and where you can sell your own used clothes and get paid upfront. After reading about how to sell your clothes, it seemed easy enough, so I thought I'd give it a try. I requested the free prepaid bag to send my clothes to them, but you can also print a prepaid label and send your clothes in whatever box you have lying around.

My sorted stack, ready to go// With nothing to compare it to, it's hard to tell, but it was a big bag!

When the bag arrived, I sorted through my clothes to see what qualified to send. Twice only takes clothes that are less than five years old and are on their list of accepted brands, so a few of my Target pieces didn't make the cut, but a number of my sweaters, jeans and tops qualified. I ended up with a little more than 20 items to sell. I stuffed them all in the bag, sealed it up, and took it to the post office. It was really easy, and I didn't have to set up to meet someone I've only contacted through Facebook or meet some consignment shops crazy standards just to sell with them. (I just finished preparing some of Preston's old clothes for a children's consignment sale here in town. I had to get plastic hangers, specific little white price tags, and safety pins and have everything lined up just so. To top it all off, it seemed the sale had caused a run on all safety pins because there were none to be found. This was much easier.)

Once Twice gets my shipment, they'll send me an offer, which I can either accept and get the amount sent to me in a check or deny and get my clothes back for $5 shipping. Since I just sent in my clothes, I can't speak to how happy I am with how much Twice pays out, but the note that came with the bag said that the average seller sends in 18 pieces and gets around $50. If that's how it plays out with me, I'll be very pleased.

So, here's to clean closets and a few more dollars in your pocket. What are your organization tips or suggestions? What do you do with your extra clutter?